A New Start
by EmilyLeah94
Summary: When Leah leaves her old unhappy life in Manehatten and begins her new one in Ponyville alongside her best friend Jamie, all she ever hopes for is a new start. Leah knew as soon as she stepped off the train that Ponyville would be completely different, but will it be Ponyville where she begins her new life and finally finds a place where she belongs?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello :) This is my first real fanfiction, so please be nice. Constructive criticism is always welcome, and I'm always open for suggestions on how to improve. Thank you :)

Leah looked out the window of the boarding train, which was due to leave Manehatten any minute. She watched as the last minute passengers rushed on board whilst carrying their suitcases.

Soon, in just a matter of minutes, she would be leaving Manehatten, and putting it all behind her. Manehatten was a popular place to visit, with its five-star hotels, many restaurants, popular designer shops and a lot more. Anypony who dreamed of living the city life would be dying to live in such an amazing city.

Amazing as it may seemed, the ponies certainly were not. It was because of them why she was leaving it all behind. They teased her, pushed her around, and never stopped with the names they gave her. The ones she remembers were "Leah the loser", "No life Leah" and "Filthy slumpony" Crystal Tiara was her main tormentor.

Unlike most of the ponies, Leah didn't live a glamorous or sophisticated life. Instead she lived in a small city apartment she shared with her mother and grandmother. They used to rent a small house not too far from the main city, but the landlord was no longer letting any ponies stay, and told Leah and her family to move out on extremely short notice. They were lucky to find the apartment, but now she lived somewhere even more small and shabby, and Crystal and her friends only picked on her more. She certainly didn't live in a slum though, but anypony who didn't live in glamorous and elegant houses were nothing but trash to Crystal.

This was it now, she knew, as she watched the train leave the platform. Her new life was just hours away. Soon, she would have the fresh start she always wanted. There was no doubt it felt strange, however, as Manehatten was the town she was born and grew up in. It was strange how she had dreamed of this day for so long, and now it was coming true right in front of her.

She felt a hoof tap her on her shoulder lightly, and looked around.

"Everything okay?" Jamie asked softly.

"Mhmm" Leah nodded

"Nervous?"

"Y-yeah..." she admitted uncomfortably

Jamie swung his hoof around her shoulder and pulled her close. "Don't be" he tried to reassure her. "I've visited Ponyville before, and it's beautiful. And the ponies there? They couldn't have been more welcoming! Heck, I didn't want to leave!"

Leah smiled warmly at him. She really admired Jamie. It was all thanks to him that they were now starting their new life together. If it wasn't for him, she'd still be stuck living unhappily in Manehatten. It took a lot of convincing before Leah finally agreed, as she wasn't sure she was ready to leave her hometown, but the more she thought about the teasing and how wonderful Ponyville sounded, she couldn't miss her chance.

"You look kinda tired" Jamie brushed gently through Leah's electric blue mane. "Why don't you take a rest? We've still got a few hours before we reach Ponyville"

"Good idea" she yawned. She rested her head against Jamie's shoulder and gently closed her eyes. His black fluffy mane tickled her nostrils.

Leah opened her eyes a little for a split second whilst Jamie held her close. As the train rushed down the tracks, she could faintly see a big sign reading "You are now leaving Manehatten. Thanks for visiting!" Leah smiled, and closed her eyes again.


	2. Chapter 2

The train halted at another stop. Leah tiredly opened her eyes, and looked towards the window again. They had stopped at a small town she didn't recognize, but she could tell from the large fields and the little houses beyond the trees, that they were now miles away from the city.

"Leah?" Jamie tapped her lightly. "You awake?"

"Mhmm" she stretched herself out. "Where are we?"

"Don't worry, we're not far now. Ponyville is just two stops away"

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Pretty much the whole journey" he chuckled. "But you were up all night making sure we packed everything"

Leah brushed her hoof over her ear, and smiled. "Sorry, I just didn't want to leave anything behind. I hope you weren't too bored sitting her on your own"

"You say sorry too much" he laughed again as he playfully poked her side. "You needed some rest anyway. Besides, I had my CD player. Oh, and the candy trolley came by so I couldn't resist buying some"

Leah frowned a little at this. She was completely unaware there was even a candy trolley on the train, and didn't hear it as she was in a deep slumber by then. "Hey! You could have asked me if I wanted candy!"

Jamie just grinned, and pulled out a small plastic bag of sweets. Leah stared at the variety of sweets. There were gummy bears, flying saucers, lollipops, mini chocolates, fizzy cola bottles, and more.

One of Leah's weaknesses were candy and chocolate. She decided that when she'd move to Ponyville that she'd eat more fruit. Jamie had told her about Sweet Apple Acres, and their homemade pies and ciders. Their new place wouldn't be too far from there either.

"Sorry, all mine" he put them back in his bag.

"Gimme!" she snatched his bag. Jamie pulled it back from her, and laughed.

"I was joking!" he opened it again and pulled out the candy. "I bought two bags, so chill out princess"

"Thanks" she took the bag from him. "But don't call me princess. I'm not a stuck up pony like Crystal Tiara who thinks she's a stupid princess"

Jamie hugged her tight. "Leah, stop thinking about Crystal, okay? We're starting a new life, remember? All of that can be put behind now, and I promise you'll never have to go through anything like that again"

Leah sighed, and rested her head against his shoulder. "You're right, I'm sorry. I got a little carried away"

"It's okay. You can be a little scary when you wake up though"

Leah elbowed him playfully, then returned to cuddling up against him before they reached their final stop.

They finally reached their stop, and jumped up to fetch their luggage. Leah looked at the sight around her as her and Jamie trotted away from the station platform. It was quiet, and there were only a few other passengers around. Above the platform, she could see a cattle of cows guarded by a strong wooden fence. They didn't look too bothered by the noise the train was making as it left the station, and carried on going about their business. It was all so new, and to Leah, a whole different world. It was nothing like Manehatten with it's busy lifestyle, especially travel. There was rarely a day when Manehatten station was quiet.

Leah and Jamie made it to the front of the station, where a number of small wooden carriages were sitting in line.

"These must be taxis" said Jamie. "Come on"

"Why don't we just fly there?" Leah suggested

"Our stuff is too heavy, it would do our backs in for sure. Plus, we'd have to take rest stops every five minutes"

Leah nodded, and followed Jamie to the front carriage. He had a good point. Their new home was no more than half an hour away, but the weight of their luggage would slow them down a lot. She wanted to fly over Ponyville to gaze over the view, but she had plenty of time to fly later.

They jumped on to the front carriage, where a pair of strong ponies were leading. Jamie told them the address, and they started up.

"So, are you folks visiting Ponyville?" The first pony asked as they carried them away from the station.

"We're moving in, actually" said Jamie

"Well, that's good to hear. Where'd you come from?"

"Manehatten" Leah mumbled

"Oh, brother! Manehatten?" The other pony joined in, laughing. "I went there once, and boy, am I not going back! Them city folk can be mighty spoilt!"

"Bobby!" The first pony hissed as he knocked him. "Don't be rude to our passengers!"

"It's okay" Leah chuckled. "I didn't really live much of a sophisticated life there anyway. I lived in a city apartment, so I didn't have much compared to the other ponies"

"Well, I'm sure you folks will settle in to Ponyville just fine!" said Bobby

Leah smiled, and Jamie took hold of her hoof as they carried on down the road. During the short journey to their house, they passed Sweet Apple Acres, the place Jamie had been telling her about. Bobby and his brother, who introduced himself as Billy, told them about the family who owned Sweet Apple Acres. They were good friends with them, and would sometimes help with collecting apples for their cider when they weren't working. They were good friends with Macintosh, or "Big Mac" in particular.

Soon, the journey came to an end, and Billy and Bobby stopped right outside the place. Jamie got out some coins to pay the brothers, whilst Leah stared at the house in front of her. There was a beautiful back garden, with flowers blooming from the fresh green grass. A concrete path with bushes by the side lead up to a beautiful stone brick house. The front door was painted sky blue, while beside it was a large window with curtains of a similar colour. Jamie jumped off the carriage with his suitcase, whilst Leah simply stared in awe at the sight in front of her.

"Hey" Jamie tapped her, suddenly snapping her out. "You coming?"

She nodded, picked up her suitcase and jumped off the carriage.

"Thank guys!" Jamie thanked Billy and Bobby before they left

"No problem. Hope you folks enjoy your new house" Billy smiled, and with that, him and Bobby trotted away.

Leah turned back at the house, still stunned. "I can tell you're quite surprised" Jamie said as he led her to the front door. "You like it?"

"It's, it's just..." Leah paused for a moment to find the right word. "Amazing"

"Yep" Jamie agreed as he turned the key in the lock. "My grandparents were generous to let me move in here when they were moving to a different town" He pushed the door open. They entered a long hallway, where a staircase was placed by the left.

"I'll show you around before we unpack" Jamie took her to the nearest door leading to the living room.

The walls were painted sky blue, just like the front door and curtains. The carpet was fluffy and was cream colored, which were the same color as the couch by the window. A large fireplace sat by the wall, near a long coffee holding a bowl of apples.

"So, this is the living room" he told her. "And it looks like they've left us most of the furniture, except for the TV. Looks like we'll have to buy that then"

"I think they left these apples for us too" Leah said as she picked up a small card from the bowl. "There's a note here"

Leah looked carefully at the neat handwriting written on the card. The note read:

_To our dearest Jellybaby,_

_Your grandpa and I hope you and your friend enjoy your new house. We bought these apples from Sweet Apple Acre's market stall as a small gift for when you move in._

_Lots of love,_

_Grammy_

_xxx_

"_Jellybaby?_" Leah smirked as she cocked an eyebrow. "Is that your nickname?"

Jamie blushed and swiped his hoof through his fluffy mane. "Don't ask...they used to call me that when I was a filly"

Leah chuckled and put the note back down. "Well, I think it's adorable, little Jellybaby"

"Don't call me that!" he pushed her lightly. "Want me to call you princess again?"

"Fine, fine. We're cool"

"Good. Come on, I'll show you your new bedroom"

Leah followed Jamie out the living room, and up the stairs to her bedroom. They stopped at the second door on the right, and pushed it open. The door revealed a wonderful bedroom with sky blue walls, a wooden floor with a large blue rug lying upon it and a single bed that sat by the window; its sheets, pillows and blankets already made up. Opposite, there was also a large wooden wardrobe. Leah was staring completely speechless once again, as she gazed her eyes upon her new bedroom.

Unlike her old and slightly cramped apartment room in Manehatten with its creaking bed, old carpet and paint chipping walls, this one had a lot more space to move around. Leah crossed the room and looked outside the window. She was met with a beautiful view of the back garden, which was even more stunning than the front. Jamie joined by her side, and grinned. He knew her stunned silence was overwhelming to her.

"Well?" he asked. "Do you like it?"

Leah didn't respond with an answer, but instead suddenly grabbed Jamie and hugged him tight. "I love it" she finally said, smiling happily. "Thank you so much, Jamie"


	3. Chapter 3

After finishing their unpacking and a cold glass of lemonade to cool off, Jamie and Leah decided to spend the rest of the afternoon to relax outside. It was a beautiful summer day, after all.

Despite not visiting Ponyville much before, Jamie knew where the best hang out spots were, and led Leah to a large field just by the forest as they flew across the blue sky. They lowered themselves when they were nearing their destination, when Jamie suddenly spotted a few pink flowers popped up in the ground. He picked one up with his mouth just before Leah landed and sat down.

"This spot's good for me" Leah smiled as she let down her wings. She looked up and saw Jamie still hovering up a little with the flower in his mouth, and blushed. Jamie lowered down and sat down, before handing Leah the flower.

"For you" he said as she took it. Leah blushed more, but smiled and thanked him.

"Summer flowers sure are beautiful" Leah said as she examined the bright pink petals. "The bright ones are always the prettiest"

Just then, Jamie spotted a little white rabbit hopping towards them eagerly. "Look, a rabbit" he pointed towards it. The rabbit then stopped just as it was passing, and stared up at them through it's big black eyes.

"Aww, it's adorable!" Leah cooed. She leant forward to stroke its little head, when she heard a soft voice call out for it.

"Angel!" she heard the voice call. A pale yellow pegasus with a long light pink mane was trotting after it.

"Angel, it's rude to run off like that" the pegasus told the bunny as she stroked one of its long ears. "You're going to leave me worried"

Leah and Jamie just watched as she communicated with the bunny. It wasn't long before she looked up at them both.

"Oh...ummm, hello..." she greeted shyly, looking down at her hooves. Her voice was very soft and gentle, it must be hard to actually hear what she was saying sometimes.

"Hey" Leah returned

"I don't think I've met you before..."

"We're new, we've just moved in" Jamie answered her. "I'm Jamie and this is Leah. What's your name?"

"Fl-fluttershy..." she muttered quietly

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. What's your name again?"

"Fl-fluttershy" she said again. "It's nice to meet you both"

Jamie and Leah thanked Fluttershy, who just smiled and bowed her head. There was an awkward silence for a few moments, before Leah tried to strike up a conversation again.

"So, uh...this bunny belongs to you?" she asked

"Oh, yes" Fluttershy smiled sweetly. "His name is Angel. I just love animals, especially bunnies"

Leah returned the smile, but couldn't think of anything else to say. Another awkward silence hung in the air again, until a sudden flashed of pink rushed by and suddenly knocked Fluttershy to the ground.

"Fluttershy!" a high-pitched voice squealed. A bright pink earth pony jumped around excitedly as Fluttershy looked up at her, slightly dazed.

"It's nearly time, Fluttershy! It's nearly time!" The pink pony continued to bounce around happily.

"T-time for what?" Fluttershy asked anxiously.

"Uhh, _hello! _The Ponyville summer festival of course! I'm planning a _huge _party for it!"

"You're...planning a party for something we're already gonna celebrate?"

"_Of course!_" she beamed. "Everypony will be there!"

"That sounds great Pinkie Pie..." Fluttershy finally picked herself up. "So, what are you doing out here?"

"Oh, I just need some space to run around" she finally stopped bouncing.

"Ooooh!" she then noticed the two other ponies sitting together. "Do I know you?"

"Nope, we've just moved in" said Leah

Pinkie Pie's grin got wider, and she started bouncing excitedly again. "New ponies! Yayayay! I'm Pinkie Pie! Do you have a name? I'm Pinkie Pie! I think I already mentioned that, but I'm Pinkie-"

"We know!" Leah cut her off. "Nice to meet you. I'm Leah"

"And I'm Jamie!"

Pinkie Pie started to bounce around them in a circle, chanting "Welcome new ponies! Welcome new ponies! Welcome new ponies!" Leah and Jamie just looked at each other in confusion. This pony must be on a permanent sugar rush.

"Umm..." Leah turned to Fluttershy."Is she...always like that?"

"Oh, yes" said Fluttershy. "She's just being Pinkie Pie"

Leah nodded, still slightly confused. She wondered if this girl ever slept, or even got tired. Pinkie Pie suddenly abruptly paused, and cheered. "Ding! Ding! I have an idea!"

"What?" Leah asked

"We should _totally _have a welcome party for you guys! It would be so much fun! We can have games, and cake, and ice cream, and punch, and cookies..."

Pinkie Pie returned to her bouncing around, whilst talking to herself about ideas for this sudden new party.

"Oh, don't worry..." Fluttershy smiled sweetly. "Pinkie Pie always throws the most wonderful parties"

Leah and Jamie chuckled as Pinkie Pie continued to circle them. It was barely their first day and already there was going to be a party for them. Leah smiled to herself. It looked like she was going to like this town after all.

"Hey guys!" Another voice joined the group. They looked up to see a light blue pegasus, her fur very similar to Leah's, with a rainbow coloured mane and tail. "What you up to?"

"Oh, I was just saying hello to Leah and Jamie" said Fluttershy. "They're new here"

"And I'm planning a welcome party for them!" Pinkie Pie beamed, pausing her bouncing again.

"Sweet! Welcome to Ponyville!" she landed beside them. "Name's Rainbow Dash. The fastest, the coolest, and definitely most _awesome _racer!"

"So, umm, Rainbow Dash...how's the routine coming along?" Fluttershy asked her.

"Oh, you know, awesome as usual" Rainbow Dash crossed her arms proudly. "I can't wait to perform for the summer festival! Hey, you guys arrived at a good time! The festival is in just two days!"

"Is there going to be a show or something?" Jamie asked

"Uh-huh. My friend Twilight Sparkle's gonna open up the show with her magic, then there'll be other performances, including my show, of course"

"It does sound fun, actually" said Leah

"Oh yes!" Pinkie Pie squealed. "The summer festival is always tons and tons and tons and tons of fun!"

"It lasts for about three days" Rainbow Dash explained "And then at the end, there's a huge closing ceremony at night with fireworks"

"The closing ceremony is always wonderful" Fluttershy added. "But the fireworks are loud and scare me a little, but they are very pretty"

Leah listened as the three friends talked more and more about the summer festival. The city life never had anything like that, only clubs and parties. There had never once been a huge celebration that bought everypony together. She remembered the way Crystal Tiara used to boast about her parties, especially her birthday. Leah was never invited of course, and Crystal and her friends never stopped reminding her that she didn't fit in and wouldn't be caught dead having a poor loser at her party.

The summer festival, however, sounded wonderful, and she couldn't think of any reason not to go, especially how Pinkie Pie was already planning a party for her. For once, Leah didn't feel like an outsider. Instead, she was welcomed so kindly by these ponies, and finally felt accepted.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun was setting that evening, leaving the sky a beautiful mixture of orange and pale pink. Leah and Jamie sat out on the porch side by side as they watched it go down, soon to be replaced by the night.

"So, what do you think of your first day of Ponyville?" Jamie asked

Leah wasn't entirely sure how to describe it, since so many things happened at once, especially this welcoming party Pinkie Pie was throwing for them. But she just smiled and said "I loved it. Everypony here is so nice"

"I knew you would"

They returned back to watching the sun. Despite that the day was now ending and the sun was disappearing, the warm summer air still lingered around them.

It was quiet too, and Leah could also hear the pleasant sound of birds singing. There was no traffic, no loud music or the sound of random passerbyers on the streets, just the sound of nature, and she loved it. She leaned in towards Jamie and rested her head against his shoulder. He smiled at her and stroked her mane as she breathed in his familiar scent from his light grey fur.

Leah thought for a moment that this must be a dream, and she would wake up the next morning to find herself back in her old small bedroom in Manehatten. But she knew all too well that all of this was real and she wasn't caught in a dream of a life she longed to have. She knew, as she and Jamie held each other whilst the birds sang and the sun said its final farewells, that this was far from a dream, and her new life had just begun.

Leah didn't recognize her surroundings when she tiredly opened up her eyes the next morning, until she scanned around the room and remembered where she was, and smiled to herself. She always had this whenever she slept somewhere new, but it never took long before she'd finally remember where she was and eventually, she would wake up in the mornings to find herself at home, other than an unfamiliar place. She yawned and pulled herself out of bed, when she caught herself in the large mirror by her door. Her mane was messy and parts of it were sticking out of random places. This was due to how much she moved around when she slept.

Leah brushed down her mane by the mirror, before trotting down hallway and down the stairs to find Jamie.

"Jamie?" she called from the stairs.

"I'm in here!" he called from the kitchen.

Leah found Jamie sitting at the little table by the porch doors with two chocolate chip pop tarts on his plate.

"Morning sleepyhead" he grinned. "I made you some pop tarts"

"Where did you get these?" Leah asked as she took a seat beside him

"Went out earlier this morning to get them" he explained. "I was thinking we get some shopping today. What do you think?"

"Sure"

"I also passed somewhere to buy a TV. They're having a huge sale right now"

"Can't say no to that" Leah chuckled. "A shopping day sounds good, though I don't have much money"

"Hey, don't worry about it!" Jamie patted her shoulder.

They continued to eat their poptarts and drink coffee, whilst the sun was beaming through the glass windows. A sudden knock on the door interrupted them.

"I'll get it" Jamie got down from his chair

Leah wondered who wanted to see them, when she heard a familiar voice at the door. It was one of the ponies she had met yesterday.

"Come on in if you want" she heard Jamie

The door then closed, and she heard them trot together up the hallway, their hooves trotting against the wooden floor in a syncronized pattern. Neither of them spoke, so she still couldn't make out which pony it was. Secretly, she was hoping it wasn't Pinkie Pie. As mean as it sounded, and she _was _grateful for this party, but she wasn't a morning person, and certainly wasn't up for anything too bubbly or hyper.

However, she was happy to find it was Rainbow Dash who followed Jamie into the kitchen.

"Oh, hi Rainbow Dash!" Leah smiled. "What's up?"

"Hey Leah. I just thought I'd come by to..."

Rainbow Dash suddenly went quiet, and looked down at her hooves. Leah and Jamie glanced over at each other, feeling mutually confused.

"To?" Jamie tried to continue the conversation.

Rainbow Dash just sighed, then held her head up. "Look, I know you guys are new and stuff, but I was just wondering...if you could, well...join me with my flying routine for the summer festival?"

Leah and Jamie just stared at her, unsure what to think. Just yesterday, Rainbow Dash was showing off her moves and talking about how excited she was to perform in front of Ponyville, whereas now she needed help all of the sudden. Leah never performed in front of anyone before. Performing arts was never her thing, and she never liked the idea of performing for a crowd.

"Umm...I don't know Rainbow Dash..." Leah said awkwardly. "I don't really do performing, and I don't know any of your moves-"

She was suddenly cut off when Rainbow Dash rushed towards her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Please! _Please!_" she begged.

"Wait, but I thought you said you were the fatest, and of course most _awesomest _racer in Ponyville" Jamie smirked

"I am!" Rainbow Dash was taken aback by his comment, as if he was doubting her and her abilities. "But I just realized this morning that my routine requires at least one or two other ponies! Without them, It'll be a mess! Pretty please?"

Leah and Jamie exchanged another glance, but Leah still didn't feel convinced. "I don't think it'll work. I've never performed in front of anyone in my life, and isn't the festival just two days from now?"

"We'll have plenty of time to practice, I promise!" Rainbow Dash tried to convince her. "Two days? No sweat! I'll teach you everything! Please guys, I really need somepony to join me!"

Leah sighed, and pushed her hoove against her cheek.

"Well, I don't know about you Leah, but I'm gonna help out" said Jamie

"You are?"

"Sure! You should too. I mean, we'll have an awesome show and it'll be a perfect opportunity for you to know the ponies around here"

Leah sighed again, but when she thought about it that way, it didn't seem like such a bad idea after all. So far, the ponies she's met here have been nothing but friendly and warm to her, so what was the harm in performing for them? Also, it was always kind to help a pony in need.

"Alright then" Leah finally agreed. "I'm in"

Rainbow Dash grinned and squeezed Leah tight in her embrace. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You guys are awesome!"

Leah and Jamie made an agreement with Rainbow Dash to meet her later on in the afternoon after they had finished their shopping to practice. Rainbow Dash then said her goodbyes and rushed out of the house in a flash, leaving them both a little bewildered, and Leah thinking about what she just agreed to.


	5. Chapter 5

The shopping was finally done, and it had been a sucessful morning for buying the things they needed. Lastly, they bought apples from the Sweet Apple Acres stall, where they met and talked a lot to Applejack, who was best friends with the ponies they met yesterday. Granny Smith even offered them a free homemade apple pie as a welcome gift.

"It looks delicious!" Leah complimented her pie

"Yep. Granny Smith makes the best pies in Ponyville" said Applejack. "You folks are gonna love it!"

"I'm sure we will" Jamie agreed.

Just then, a little voice rang out to them. "Applejack!" it called. A yellow filly pony with a bright pink mane came running over. She had the most adorable bow tied on her head.

"Applejack! Applejack!" The filly was then joined by two others, presumably her friends.

"I heard ya!" Applejack laughed. "What can I do you for, cuties?"

"We want to perform for the summer festival!" she beamed.

"Oh, isn't that just precious?" Granny Smith smiled

"My sister agreed to make our costumes!" one of her friends jumped excitedly. "We're gonna look super amazing!"

"Well, what do y'all need me for?" Applejack asked. "Sounds to me like you've got everything planned"

"We need to see the mayor so we can sign up!" said the first pony. "But we can't find her! Where is she?"

Applejack chuckled and patted her head. "Calm down there, little sis. Come on, I think I know where she is"

"Thanks Applejack!"

"No problem, my precious. Oh, but before we leave, say hi to these folk over here. They're new" Applejack pointed towards Leah and Jamie.

"Hi!" the three fillies greeted in unison.

"This here is Applebloom, my sister" Applejack introduced her

"And I'm Sweetie Belle!" her friend added

"I'm Scootaloo"

"And we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Applebloom announced proudly.

Leah gave a warm smile to the three enthusiastic fillys in front of her. They were so adorable and made such a good team together, it made Leah wish she had friends like that when she was a filly, or any friends like that at all during her life. Jamie was her first and only friend before she moved to Ponyville.

"Granny Smith, are you gonna be okay to take over for a while?" Applejack asked before she left to take her sister to the mayor.

"Oh, don't you fret dear! I've got everything under control!"

"Well, okay. I won't be too long. It was nice meeting you guys, see you at the festival!"

"See you then!" Leah said as she and Jamie waved.

"Well, we best be heading home" said Jamie as he picked up the bag of apples. "Thanks for the pie, Granny Smith"

"You're always welcome dear"

They said goodbye to Granny Smith and headed home to enjoy some pie before meeting Rainbow Dash.

They had just passed Sugarcube corner when Leah heard a shrill voice squeal her name. Before she knew it, Pinkie Pie jumped on her, causing Leah to trip and drop the pie. Jamie thought fast, dropped the bag of apples and caught it before it hit the ground.

"Pinkie Pie!" Leah frowned as she got up. "Be careful! We nearly dropped the pie Granny Smith gave us!"

"Ohh, I'm sorry" Pinkie Pie apologized. "But guess what! I have good news!"

"What good news?" Jamie asked her

"What? You haven't already forgotten have you!?"

Leah and Jamie stared at her, sharing the same kind of confusion they had with Rainbow Dash earlier that morning.

"This wouldn't be about the party, would it?" Leah guessed

"Yes!" Pinkie Pie squealed. "I've invited everypony to the party! It's gonna be at the Sugarcube Corner after the festival!"

"That's great, Pinkie Pie" Jamie smiled. "We'll be there, alright"

"Well, of course you'll be there silly billy!" Pinkie Pie giggled. "It's your welcome party after all!"

"We can't wait for that" Leah said as she put the spilled apples back in the bag and picked it up "But we have to get going now"

"Yeah, see you at the party Pinkie Pie" Jamie waved at her as they walked on.

"Okie dokie lokie!" she grinned as she bounced happily. "See you there!"

"Man, that girl is nutty" Leah laughed as they walked further away. "Thank god you saved that pie"

"Mmhm, but she means well, especially for the party"

"She does do good ones, apparently"

"I'm pretty excited for it, are you?"

"Sure. It'll be a nice welcome"

Leah and Jamie made back it to their house and dropped their shopping in the living room and put away their groceries in the kitchen. They had about an hour to spare before they had to meet Rainbow Dash up at her place, so they decided to sit back and enjoy the apple pie they were given. Applejack wasn't lying when she said Granny Smith made the best apple pies in town, because after just one bite they loved it. In fact, Leah thought it was the best apple pie she had ever tasted.

After they finished, and spent the rest of the time relaxing outside by the porch, it was finally time to head up to the clouds to meet with Rainbow Dash.

"I don't know about this Jamie" Leah said as they flew upwards. "I'm not sure I can do this"

"Hey, don't be scared! Everything will be fine! Ponyville's gonna love us!"

"I just don't know if I can learn the moves on time..."

"Look, just remember that you've got me and Rainbow Dash on your side, and we're in this together, right?"

Leah nodded, and smiled weakly. "Okay. I'll do my best"

Rainbow Dash was already waiting for them by what Leah presumed to be her home. It was a tall light blue building that, amazingly, sat on just a single cloud.

"Alright!" Rainbow Dash announced when they arrived. "Who's ready for some practice for the most awesome performance of their life!"


	6. Chapter 6

Rainbow Dash spent the entire afternoon teaching Leah and Jamie her moves to prepare them from the show. Leah found it too difficult at first, and struggled to keep up with Rainbow Dash and Jamie, who was already getting the moves quite well. Unlike Rainbow Dash, Leah wasn't much of an athletic pony, and didn't enjoy racing like she did. She especially struggled with back flips, as she struggled physically to get herself upside down, and kept failing and falling back down whenever she tried.

"I can't do this" Leah sighed after another failed attempt. "Sorry Rainbow Dash, but this isn't for me"

"Aww, come on! You're doing great!" Rainbow Dash argued

"No, I'm not!" she snapped. "You guys have got this perfectly! I'm just gonna embarrass you if I perform like this!"

Leah decided she wanted to leave and go back home. Rainbow Dash and Jamie would do a fantastic performance without her, and she'd just ruin it if she kept slipping up. She decided to give up and go back, but was halted when Jamie grabbed her by the hoof.

"Please don't go, Leah" said Jamie. "We _want _you in our performance!"

"No! I can't do this!" she cried. "I can't even back flip properly! I'm just gonna mess it up for you guys!"

"Look, sometimes we struggle with things more than others, but that doesn't mean we should give up! I mean, you haven't done anything like this before, right? So you can't expect to be perfect"

Leah sighed, and looked back at Rainbow Dash, who went back to practicing her moves. She soared through the clouds, spun through the air and twirled perfectly.

"Tell you what" Jamie continued. "How about we do the back flip together? I'll work with you with that until you can do it on your own. What do you think?"

"Okay, okay" Leah agreed.

Jamie held Leah's hoof as they started on the back flip. They flew through the clouds, gradually getting faster until they were soaring fast enough to start the back flip.

"You ready?" Jamie called to Leah

"Ready!"

Jamie let go of Leah and soared upwards, before flipping himself upside down to spin in a loop. His back flip and loop were perfect. Leah breathed in deeply and pushed herself up higher to start the back flip. She attempted to push herself into one, but instead stalled and fell down into the clouds. She groaned as she sunk her head into the soft clouds that cushioned her fall.

"I still can't do it" she moaned as Jamie joined her.

"Come on" he pulled her up. "Let's try again"

They started from the beginning again and followed the same routine. Leah failed again, but this time managed to keep herself steady and didn't fall into the clouds. It was by her fourth attempt when she was ready to give up again, but as she soared up into the air again and pushed herself back, her body didn't feel too stiff or heavy to move. Instead, it felt light and flexible and she pushed herself into a back flip and twirled herself into a loop. Jamie cheered enthusiastically as she flew back down, grinning happily.

"I did it!" she beamed. "I don't know how, but I actually did it!"

"See? I told you! Come on, let's try that a few more times"

Leah and Jamie did the routine a few times, and Leah managed to back flip. Her loop wasn't as smooth as Jamie, as it was a little more clumsy. Eventually, she didn't need Jamie to hold her hoof when they started, and manage to start the move on her own.

"Looks like you got it!" Rainbow Dash called up to Leah just as she finished another back flip.

"I knew she could" Jamie smiled

"Well, now it's time I show you guys how our routine's gonna go. Think you're ready, Leah?"

Leah swooped down beside Jamie. "Sure, I think I can do it now"

"That's the spirit!" Rainbow Dash grinned. "Come on!"

Rainbow Dash showed Leah and Jamie the spots they will be positioned at the beginning of the routine. The three of them made a large triangle, which would be their starting position before beginning the routine. Rainbow listed which ways they would fly, which moves they would do and what they would end on.

Now that Leah was more confident in this, she was beginning to enjoy the afternoon. It was a lot of fun to soar through the clouds as fast as her wings could take her. She especially loved how the fresh air would blow against her face, whilst running through her mane as it flew out behind her. Now she understood why Rainbow Dash loved this so much.

Practice finally ended in the late afternoon, and both her and Jamie were exhausted. As soon as Rainbow Dash allowed them to finish, they immediately collapsed onto the clouds whilst they panted heavily and sweat ran down their faces.

"Thank god" Leah breathed. "I'm exhausted"

"Hey! Who's up for a race?" Rainbow Dash soared over them, but she was met with a groan and complaints that they were too tired.

"Man, you guys can be boring!" she laughed

"We should go home now" said Jamie. "I'm starving"

"Me too" Leah yawned. "And I'm tired"

Leah and Jamie pulled themselves up from the clouds. "Thanks for the training, Rainbow Dash" Leah thanked her before they left.

"No problem. Be here tomorrow! We got a lot of work to do!"

"Sure thing!" Jamie waved her off.

Rainbow Dash then raced back up to the sky in a flash, and disappeared. Leah and Jamie tiredly flew back down to the ground, and walked together back home. Both of their muscles and wings ached from exhaustion.

"Man, I'm beat" Leah collapsed into the hallway when they got home. "I hate exercise"

Jamie chuckled, and said "Well, how about we order pizza tonight? I'm way too tired to cook"

Leah cocked her head up to her friend, and sighed in relief. "You're a life saver, did you know that?"


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Many apologies that I haven't been updating this lately as I've been very busy with moving into my new place for university. Updates may be a little harder to do since I'm starting my classes next week, but I'll try and update as much as I can.

I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

Leah spent the next two days practicing with Jamie and Rainbow Dash. Practice was a lot more easier now Leah had a grip on things, and felt she could finally keep up with her friends. They'd start at the early afternoon (It turns out that Rainbow Dash treasured sleep just as much as Leah) until it was nearly evening.

"Okay guys" Rainbow Dash announced to her new friends on the last day of practice. "Looks like practice is over"

"Thank god!" Leah sighed as she got up tiredly from the clouds. "I'm exhausted"

"Well, tomorrow's the big day! So make sure we look as awesome as we can!"

"Do you think we're ready?" Jamie asked

"You kidding? You guys rule! And tomorrow we're gonna rock the festival!"

Leah thought about it as she yawned. Weirdly, she was actually feeling excited about it. Everypony around Ponyville was talking about the festival, and she couldn't wait to see how amazing it would be.

Leah and Jamie eventually said their goodbyes and left Rainbow Dash for the night. Their performance was going to be after Twilight Sparkle's magic opening, so they agreed to meet Rainbow Dash backstage during her performance to prepare.

"I still can't believe I'm gonna be in a show" Leah said to Jamie as they walked home. They originally wanted to fly home, but after endless hours of practice, they found their wings had gotten too tired. Leah liked a nice walk along the country road anyway. It was nice to see the trees beaming with bright green leaves whilst the sun was setting down.

"You nervous?"

"Actually, I'm pretty excited"

"See? I told you it would be fun" Jamie smiled. "And don't worry, we're in this together"

Leah looked over at him and smiled, before pausing and gently placing her hoove over this. Jamie stopped and turned to look at her, but she quickly pulled away whilst blushing red. She felt Jamie took hold of her hoove, then a sudden wave of warm breath down her neck. Her cheeks blushed more as she stood frozen stiff whilst staring down at the rocky path beneath her, when a pair of lips met her cheek and kissed her softly.

They stood still in the middle of the path in complete silence; Leah still standing as solid as a rock. Her eyes rolled up at Jamie, who was now also looking down at the path, looking slightly embarrassed by what he just did. But Leah didn't mind the kiss at all. In fact, it was warm and comforting, and it made her feel safe and happy. She finally looked up from the ground, and over to Jamie, before taking his hoove.

"Come on," she smiled at him as he looked up. "Let's go home"

Jamie returned the smile and wrapped his arms around her for a hug. The warmth of his fur settled against Leah as he held her tight in his arms.

Leah and Jamie arrived at the festival the following day. The preparations had finally been done, but despite that it had been officially opened just half an hour ago, it was already buzzing with many ponies buying things from the stalls and winning prizes on the game stands. There was still about an hour to spare before the opening ceremony, so they decided to take a look around. Leah noticed Pinkie Pie's sweet treats stall and Applejack's family stall beside her, and decided to buy two of Pinkie Pie's cupcakes. They were decorated in pink and blue icing whilst sprinkled with colourful little candy bits. Leah couldn't resist the temptation to buy one.

"It's nearly party time guys!" Pinkie Pie grinned estatically as Jamie handed the money over to her. "Everypony has agreed to come! You guys excited?"

Leah took a bite out of the cupcake, the sweet taste of colourful icing and candy filling her tastebuds.

"Sure are" Leah said after swallowing. "We've got a performance with Rainbow Dash later"

"Ooohh, yay!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "I guess that's why she's been busy lately! You guys must have been practicing with her!"

"Yeah, _a lot _of practice" Jamie laughed. "But Rainbow Dash says we've done great so far"

"Well, howdy there folks!" Applejack's voice rang out behind them

"Hi Applejack!" Pinkie Pie waved.

"Hey there, Pinkie Pie! How's the cupcake sales going?"

"Sweet as sugar coated sweets!"

"What about you, Applejack?" Leah asked her. "You guys look like you've got a lot of customers"

"Well, our apple cider is especially popular at this time of year. Hey, why don't you folks try some? It'll be mighty helpful for your show later"

"Sure!" Leah and Jamie agreed happily. They followed Applejack to her stall, where Granny Smith was serving her pies and Applebloom and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders were serving the cider. They were looking rather comical, Leah thought as she watched Applebloom pour out the cider into the glass. They had wild bright pink makeup on around their eyes and their manes had been put up in wild spikes. Leah was curious what their performance was going to be.

"We're gonna perform a song" Applebloom explained. "It's the Cutie Mark Crusaders theme song!"

"Well, that sounds good" Leah chuckled. "Good luck, I'm sure you'll be great"

"Great? We'll be _awesome!_" Scootaloo beamed. "Hey, aren't you guys performing with Rainbow Dash later?"

"Yep" Leah nodded proudly.

"Sweet! I'd love to perform with Rainbow Dash one day!"

Leah and Jamie chuckled, and smiled at the over-enthusiastic filly. Leah thought it was adorable how much Scootaloo admired Rainbow Dash like an icon, and could certainly understand why. Rainbow Dash had so much talent, she bet anypony would want to fly like her.

Meanwhile, behind the curtains of Ponyville's main stage, Rarity was eagerly dressing Twilight Sparkle for her opening performance.

"I don't know about this, Spike" Twilight Sparkle sighed as Rarity tied up her sparkly pink cape. "I'm meant to help run a kingdom, not entertain like a performing monkey"

"Aww, come on Twilight! Ponyville's been talking all week about your opening! Don't disappoint them!"

Twilight Sparkle sighed again, and looked out the small gap of the curtain at the festival ahead of her. It was true that Twilight's opening ceremony was the talk of the town, and if there was one thing she didn't want to, it was to let her beloved fans down. Celestia herself knew about this ceremony, and would probably support it herself.

"Almost done, darling" Rarity informed Twilight as she stitched up the last patch. "Just one last touch, and you'll be shining like a star!"

Spike watched in desire as Rarity rushed over to her diamond encrusted chest, her perfectly curled purple mane flying behind her. Twilight Sparkle saw the passion in his eyes, and giggled.

The show was about to start, and Leah and Jamie met Rainbow Dash backstage just like they agreed.

"Okay, you guys ready?" she asked them

Leah and Jamie nodded. "We're ready"

"Sweet. Twilight Sparkle is gonna open up the show first, then we'll be on"

"Sounds good to me" said Jamie

Leah listened as the mayor made her announcement to the crowd. Just then, she heard the sound of hooves galloping towards the stage. A purple alicorn dressed in a sparkly pink cape with diamonds was being rushed to the stage.

"How do I look?" the alicorn whispered to the white unicorn and little purple dragon beside her

"Simply devine, darling" the unicorn replied. "The best of luck to you"

Leah simply stared in awe at her. _An alicorn..._ she thought to herself as she watched her wait patiently for her cue. _I've never seen one before._

"And now, what everypony has been waiting for!" the mayor boomed down the microphone. "Presenting our opening ceremony for the summer festival, I give you...Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

Twilight Sparkle spread her large purple wings as the curtains opened. The crowd immediately applauded, their cheers filling the stage.

"Hello everypony!" Twilight Sparkle greeted the crowd. "And welcome to this year's Ponyville summer festival!"

Leah watched as the crowd cheered on Twilight Sparkle. She knew everypony had been talking about their excitement over her opening, but nopony mentioned that she was an alicorn princess.

_She's...she's amazing!_


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I'm really sorry it's been a while since I've updated. My university course has been rather stressful lately, so I haven't been able to focus on this too much. I hope you understand and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Leah continued to gaze in awe at the alicorn in front of her, until Rainbow Dash interrupted her thoughts.

"Anypony in there?" she shook Leah

"Oh, errr, sorry..." Leah snapped back in.

"Are you okay?" Jamie asked

"I'm fine, I was just...amazed about Twilight Sparkle"

"No duh! She's amazing!"

"I've never seen an alicorn before"

"Really?"

"No" Leah shook her head. "Before I moved here, I never really went anywhere outside Manehatten. I remember when everypony would be excited for Princess Celestia's visits, but I never saw her"

"So you haven't heard of Princess Twilight Sparkle?"

"No..." Leah looked away shyly. "Not really..." Jamie placed his hoof on her shoulder and smiled at her encouragingly.

"Well, we should start preparing for our performance" Rainbow Dash changed the subject. "You guys remember where your starting positions are?" Leah and Jamie both nodded in response.

Leah then trotted over to her position. Rainbow Dash would take the front, whereas Leah would take the left spot behind her and Jamie would take the right. Being separated didn't help her nerves, but she attempted to distract herself by watching Twilight Sparkle's performance. The audience adored her, and young fillys at the front row watched with amazement and admiration in their eyes as Twilight Sparkle worked her magic with her amazingly big wings on her back. It eased her a little to see that the audience wasn't much of a tough crowd, as not one of them booed or scowled at the magical alicorn. Every single pony was enjoying the show, and she hoped they would enjoy theirs too.

Eventually, Twilght's performance came to a close, and everypony cheered in happiness as she bowed and she her thank yous, before she returned back stage.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash caught her

"Oh, hey Rainbow Dash! You're on next, right?"

"You know it! And I've got the most awesome co-stars!"

Twilight looked at Leah and Jamie, and smiled warmly. "Well, hello there. I don't believe I've met you two before"

"Umm...we're new" Leah answered anxiously. Twilight seemed warm and welcoming, but it was still scary to her how she was suddenly meeting royalty in front of her. She remembered when Crystal Tiara used to dream of meeting Princess Celestia personally. Crystal and her family had been honored enough to attend one of her many balls, but never really spoke to her upfront. Leah may not have been meeting with Celestia right at this moment, but she was met with one of the greatest alicorn princesses.

_Take that, Crystal Tiara _Leah thought.

"Oh! How wonderful!" Twilight smiled. "If you need anything, just ask!"

"Thanks!" Jamie thanked appreciatively. "By the way, I'm Jamie, and this is my friend Leah"

Leah waved her hoof nervously at the alicorn and put on a friendly smile. "It's nice to meet you"

"Thank you very much"

Suddenly, another pony's voice rang out behind them. "Oh, Twilight darling!" the white unicorn from earlier came rushing up towards her. "You were simply spectacular!"

"Thanks Rarity!"

Behind Rarity, the small purple dragon was slumbering behind her, struggling to carry a large box of sparkly clothes.

Twilight chuckled, and lifted the box out of his claws with her magic. "Anyway, I better go. Good luck guys!"

Leah watched as Twilight walked away with Rarity and the little dragon. She couldn't believe she had just met royalty. It had barely been a week and yet already there has been so much happening. It was an overwhelming thought indeed, but she quickly snapped back when the mayor announced the opening of the next performance.

Leah and her friends got into starting position, arching their backs and placing their right hooves forward.

"Please welcome, Rainbow Dash and her co-performers for the flying show!"

The three set off as soon as the curtain opened, and raced up to the sky. Manes of the audience flew back as they flew above them. Leah kept her eyes on Rainbow Dash whilst she kept a safe distance as they flew up higher, pushing away the clouds as they did.

Once they reached a high enough point, they joined together by the hooves. "You ready?" Rainbow Dash grinned.

"Ready" Leah and Jamie said together.

They separated again, and flew opposite directions from each other to begin the somersault routine. This was the difficult part that Leah struggled with painfully during practice. Her nerves were nagging at her as she sped up, but before thinking about it, she already found herself swinging upside down in the air.

"Yes!" she beamed to herself as she flew back towards Rainbow Dash and Jamie to meet them for the final stunt.

The three ponies joined back together, before flying back down lower and closer to the audience. They remained together as they all swooped back down and rushed closely above the audience as they made their way back to the stage.

The crowd cheered as they flew back to the stage and gently flew back down arm in arm. They then took a final bow, and walked back through the curtains.

"You...guys...were...AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash squealed as she suddenly squeezed them tight.

"I had fun!" Jamie grinned when she let go. "Did you, Leah?"

"Yeah! I can't believe I finally pulled off the somersault!"

"See? I told you you could do it" said Jamie

"I know, and thank you" Leah hugged back. They looked at each other for a short moment, and smiled as Jamie softly stroked his hoof against Leah's cheek, until Rainbow Dash suddenly cut in.

"Whoah! Okay there, lovebirds!"

Jamie suddenly pulled his hoof away, and they both blushed awkwardly and looked away.

"Oh, umm...we're not a...umm..." Leah tried to explain

"We're just..." Jamie took the next attempt. "Just..."

"Yeah, whatever" Rainbow Dash dismissed them. "Come on! Let's go watch the rest of the show!"

Leah and Jamie shrugged and smiled and followed Rainbow Dash back outside through the backstage exit and found some spare seats in the audience. Rarity was now on the stage and doing a catwalk of her newest outfits. They were beautiful, and Leah could tell Rarity was a huge fan of diamonds in particular. She couldn't see herself ever wearing clothes like that though. It wasn't just the fact that she grew up not being able to afford much designer things, but she knew that they just wouldn't suit her, and she couldn't ever imagine herself having Rarity style up her mane or getting her to try on the clothes. At least Ponyville didn't have any problem with not wearing designer clothes, which was the opposite of Manehatten, hence why she liked it so much.

The show eventually finished, and Leah enjoyed the many performances she watched. She particularly enjoyed The Cutie Mark Crusaders performance. They were adorable, despite looking clownish and the poor scenery.

Leah and Jamie decided to head back to town to look around some more. As they got there, they noticed Twilight Sparkle was practically being bombarded by many ponies, all of them admiring her.

"Wow, Twilight really is a big hit" Leah chuckled

"Yeah, must be great being popular"

Leah always wondered what it would be like to be popular. She never had a large group of ponies look up to her, talk about her positively and admire her like they did with Twilight Sparkle. She never knew what it was like to be loved every corner she turned, and praised by everypony she met.

Leah and Jamie joined the crowd, listening to many different voices all talking to Twilight about how amazing her performance was.

"Hey guys!" Leah heard Rainbow Dash rush over to them. "Sorry, didn't mean to lose you"

"It's cool" said Leah

"So, what's going on over here?"

"Nothing much" Jamie answered her. "Everypony is just talking about Twilight performance"

"Hey guys!" Rainbow Dash boomed over the crowd. "What did you think of our flying show?"

Everypony looked over, turning their attention away from Twilight for a second.

"It was wonderful!" One pony complimented

"I loved it!"

"Yeah, I wish I could fly like that!"

Leah smiled at the kind words and support her and her friends were getting. As much as Twilight's performance was wonderful, it was nice for them to be in the spotlight for a moment.

"Yeah, no doubt we rocked!" Rainbow Dash agreed proudly

"It was pretty fun" said Leah. "Especially when we-"

"Oh, but it was Twilight's performance that really made it a great show!" somepony cut her off.

"Yes! She is just amazing!"

"How do you do it, Twilight?"

Leah frowned heatedly as the ponies went back to admire the alicorn. She looked over at Twilight and frowned at her too. Okay, so she was an alicorn princess with a lot of magical talent, but was she really _that _special? Her, Jamie and Rainbow Dash worked hard on their performance, and she was sure Rarity, The Cutie Mark Crusaders and the others put a lot of time and effort into theirs, yet they weren't getting any kind of credit at all. Twilight wasn't the mayor of Ponyville, but everypony treated her like the best thing ever and like she wasn't just a princess, but a shining god. Leah suddenly grew sour, and instead of watching Twilight Sparkle in awe, she glared at her in bitterness.

"Okay, okay, thank you very much!" Twilight eventually stopped the crowd. "I really appreciate each and everypony's support, but me and Spike are going to have to go home now"

Many grunts and moans of disappointment filled the crowd. Leah just rolled her eyes and huffed.

"But before I leave, just remember this. If you really _really _want something, then you've got to work hard for it! And even when the going gets tough, never give up and never stop the journey for what you want!"

Another applause ripped through the crowd, and now Leah had had quite enough. She walked away from the excited ponies, and made her way out of town.

"Nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh!" Leah mimicked to herself as she trotted on down the path.

"Leah!" She heard Jamie call out to her, and looked over to see him running towards her. "Hey!" he panted when he caught up. "Where you going?"

"I'm gonna go home. I'm pretty exhausted from today..."

"Are you alright?" he asked

"I'm fine, but I really need a rest"

"Okay, we can look around the festival some more tomorrow"

"Yeah..."

Leah didn't want to mention how she was feeling. It was selfish to be jealous over how popular Twilight was, yet she couldn't help the grudge she felt when none of the other performers got praised nearly as much. Not even Rainbow Dash, who she was sure would want that kind of glory, didn't seem to care much. Leah sighed quietly as her and Jamie walked back home together.


End file.
